toadeater

toadeater
noun Date: circa 1572 archaic toady

New Collegiate Dictionary. 2001.

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  • Toadeater — Toad eat er, n. [Said to be so called in allusion to an old alleged practice among mountebanks boys of eating toads (popularly supposed to be poisonous), in order that their masters might have an opportunity of pretending to effect a cure. The… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • toadeater — [tōdēt΄ər] n. TOADY …   English World dictionary

  • toadeater — /tohd ee teuhr/, n. a toady. [1565 75; TOAD + EATER] * * * …   Universalium

  • toadeater — toad•eat•er [[t]ˈtoʊdˌi tər[/t]] n. archaic toady …   From formal English to slang

  • toadeater — ˈ ̷ ̷ˌ ̷ ̷ ̷ ̷ noun 1. archaic : a mountebank s assistant who eats or pretends to eat supposedly poisonous toads to permit his boss to show his skill in expelling the poison 2. a. : a fawning obsequious parasite : toady b. : a servile dependent …   Useful english dictionary

  • Toadies — Toady Toad y, n.; pl. {Toadies}. [Shortened from toadeater.] 1. A mean flatterer; a toadeater; a sycophant. [1913 Webster] Before I had been standing at the window five minutes, they somehow conveyed to me that they were all toadies and humbugs.… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Toady — Toad y, n.; pl. {Toadies}. [Shortened from toadeater.] 1. A mean flatterer; a toadeater; a sycophant. [1913 Webster] Before I had been standing at the window five minutes, they somehow conveyed to me that they were all toadies and humbugs.… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • toady — toad·y (tō’dē) n. pl. toad·ies ▸ A person who flatters or defers to others for self serving reasons; a sycophant. tr. & intr.v. toad·ied, toad·y·ing, toad·ies ▸ To be a toady to or behave like a toady. See Synonyms at FAWN(Cf. ↑fawn)1 …   Word Histories

  • toady — I. noun (plural toadies) Etymology: by shortening & alteration from toadeater Date: 1826 one who flatters in the hope of gaining favors ; sycophant Synonyms: see parasite II. intransitive verb (toadied; toadying) …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • bootlicker — Synonyms and related words: apple polisher, ass licker, backscratcher, backslapper, bootlick, brown nose, brownie, clawback, courtier, creature, cringer, dupe, fawner, flatterer, flunky, footlicker, groveler, handshaker, helot, instrument, jackal …   Moby Thesaurus

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